Writing An Effective Press Release

Writing a "press release" can be a very big part of getting your name in front of the public and there are many press release services and tools that are available that can help you for free or at nominal charges.

The biggest mistake people make when doing a press release is making it about something that is not newsworthy.  For instance, opening your business doors may be of importance to you, but is it something that the public would be interested in reading?  Unless you are the marketing manager for a large public company where the business expansion would affect the business or employment climate in a new town, it probably isn’t all that important.  Neither would be the hiring of new personnel or offering a service that is otherwise available.  

In general, when writing a press release, you should avoid issues that are of little concern to the vast majority of the population.  Such press releases are typically not accepted anyway, so submitting one will most likely label you as someone who submits irrelevant material. 

The press release can however, be used to announce a new kind of service for which there is an obvious business demand or to announce a major expansion, merger, etc. that would be of interest to the public.  Did you launch a new site that has some new worthwhile technology?  Have you invented a product that solves a problem?  Are you putting an event together that would be of interest to the public such as a seminar on aging?  All of these are examples of situations where a press release would be in order.

If you have a local story, try your local press for a press release.  If you are doing something in Houston and it's only relevant in Houston, then don't submit the press release anywhere else.  It's a waste of your time and others.  On the other hand, if it is potentially national, using press release services will help you get the word out.  Here are some popular press release services:

A press release should also closely follow an accepted format and it should obviously be a press release.  Don’t try to hide it thinking that someone will be fooled into publishing your press release as a legitimate story.  A press release should be ¾ to 1 and ½ pages long.  No more, no less.  If your press release is shorter than that, it doesn’t have adequate detail.  If it is longer than that, it is too wordy. 

Start your press release strong.  Your first paragraph should tell the story and the rest of the document should only elaborate, give examples, and give important contact information.

Write your press release in the manner in which you would like it printed.  Do not depend on editorial staff to check your spelling or grammar.  They may do so, but in most cases where they have to do a lot of clean up work, your press release simply won’t make the cut.

A press release is news so stick to the facts.  Don’t go off on any tangents.  Avoid fluff or overstating the facts.  A press release is best written by emulating the style of a newspaper or magazine doing a headline story.  Always do a press release in third party format, “According to owner Margie Smith…”

A good press release tells the story from several angles.  Pick examples in case the person reading it doesn’t get the impact of the press release the first time through.

There are several dangers in putting out a press release.  Don’t use industry jargon.  You and your competitors know that a TIA (transient ischemia attack) is, your public does not.  The industry also likes to define itself in terms of the counties that it serves, consumers do not.  If someone is searching for a service in Raleigh, NC, that’s how they search.  They won’t think about searching for services in Wake County, which could also include several other towns.

Avoid hype in your press release.  This means use proper punctuation, avoid terms like THE BEST, and NEVER DO THIS!!!!!!!!  If you do, you will have lost all credibility.

Marketing >> Public Relations/Press Releases >> Writing a press release